Week Nine: Emma- Mary Margaret's elimination shocked everyone. Emma had thought Mary Margaret looked like Snow White, and had been surprised when she had been sent home. Mary Margaret also embodied the traits of a top model. She was kind, compassionate, empathetic, and someone little girls could look up to. Emma was sad to see her friend leave. "I can't believe she got eliminated." Emma told Regina that night as they were getting ready to fall asleep. "I know." Regina agreed. "During the first week, I thought she'd be in the top three for sure." "Who do you think it'll be now?" Emma asked. "You, obviously. I hope myself. And at this point, my guess would be Ella." Regina replied. "I hope Ruby is the third." Emma stated. "She's been a good friend since the first week." "I guess we'll find out soon. As long as you don't go home, it'll all be fine." Regina yawned. Emma snuggled in closer to her girlfriend. Clearly the brunette was still getting over jet lag. Emma ran a finger through her girlfriend's beautiful raven colored locks. "Are you ready for sleep?" Emma asked. "No, no I'm good." Regina insisted, though the sleep in her voice gave her away. "Okay, maybe I'm a little tired." "Get some rest." Emma smiled and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend. Within a few moments, Regina's breathing had evened out. Emma watched as her chest continued to rise and fall. She couldn't get over how beautiful her girlfriend was. She felt so lucky, and...well. "Goodnight my queen." Emma whispered. "I love you." * * * * * * * * The next morning the girls were awoken to a large horn sound. The all dashed into the living room to see what was going on. There stood Nigel, camera in hand. "Morning girls." He greeted. "I hope you had a good night's rest, because I have a big event planned for you all today." "Are you taking our pictures again?" Ruby asked in excitement. "I am." He confirmed. "But, of course, there's a twist. For this challenge, you will be blindfolded, so you must model only with your body. The girl who does the best will get 100 extra frames at her next shoot, and she will pick one friend to get 50 extra frames, and that girl will pick another friend to get an extra 25 frames, make sense?" The girls all nodded. Nigel sent them off to get changed while he finished setting up. Emma was nervous that she wouldn't be able to see what she was doing. Her eyes were her strongest feature, according to the judges, and not being able to use them was definitely going to be a challenge. Emma knew Regina and Tink would be the biggest competition in this challenge. Regina was the queen of posing, and Tink had been nailing different poses the past few weeks. Ruby would have to work on not being too sexy. Ella would need to ensure that her poses were strong and not half assed. Emma needed herself, which was easier said than done. "Ruby, you're first." Nigel called out. The other girls watched Ruby move into different poses. Nigel kept reminding her to be careful about her poses, but she didn't seem to be catching on. Emma was worried for her friend, she really seemed to struggle with this challenge, and Emma hoped she could make it up in the photo shoot. "Ella. You're up." The girls wished Ella luck as she walked up to the set. Nigel's assistant placed the blind-fold on her eyes and she began posing. Emma was really impressed. She was portraying a lot of emotions with her body language. "That was really good." Nigel commented with a smile when she was done. "Regina, your turn." Emma gave her girlfriend's hand a squeeze. She knew Regina didn't need luck. Naturally, Regina began to fall right into pose after pose. She was flawless. It was clear that she had been doing this for a long time. "You really wowed me!" Nigel told her. Emma was called next. She was nervous, but she knew she just had to focus. Her eyes were covered, but she could imagine they weren't. She did what she would do normally, and tried to channel her inner Regina. "I thought you would be the weak link today, because you rely on your eyes, but I am really impressed." Nigel grinned at her. Tink was to go. She actually seemed to struggle to find poses. She stumbled a bit through the challenge. Emma had thought Tink was going to knock this one out of the ballpark. She felt bad when Tink was done. She looked very discouraged and upset with herself. "Okay ladies, see how hard it is to lose one of your senses, but you have to learn to adapt. If you can't remember to rely on all of your other senses, you won't get a good photo." He told them. "So, without further ado, the winner of this challenge is Regina." The girls all clapped and congratulated Regina on her win. Emma was proud that her girlfriend. Regina was kicking butt in this competition, and she didn't even realize just how good she was. "Regina, you will now pick a friend to receive 50 extra frames at the photoshoot." Nigel stated. Emma knew that Regina wanted to pick her, but she also knew that her girlfriend wanted to remain fair. Some of the girls hadn't gotten to experience any of the challenge prizes yet, and Emma felt confident that she would be okay without the extra frames. She gives Regina a small nod. "Ella." Regina smiled at her friend. "Thank you!" Ella exclaimed with a surprised smile. "Ella, you will now choose someone to get 25 extra frames." Nigel said. "I pick Emma." Ella replied. The girls were all dismissed and sent to the bus to take them back to the house. Emma was exhausted. She was ready to sit back and relax until the photoshoot. She just hoped Tyra didn't throw anything too crazy at them. *EMMA CONFESSIONAL* "I can't believe we are down to the final five. It's getting closer and closer to find out who the winner is. I hope it's Regina or I, but honestly, all the girls in the house want and deserve this. This week has been so crazy already. First, Mary Margaret leaves, and then...I realized that I love Regina. Obviously I've known for a while that I had feelings for her, I mean, we're dating, but I seriously love her. Like buy her favorite flowers on a random Tuesday, sing her love songs, watch cheesy musicals, never want to be without her, love her." Regina- Regina had been working on her facial expressions for the photoshoot. She knew that she could make her face soft, it was just something she needed to remember to do. Severe faces came more natural to her, but she knew that sometimes the judges wanted her to soften her face, and she was more than capable of that. She just had to push herself. "Emma, Regina, Tyra Mail!" Ruby called. The two made there way to the living room where Tink was holding the message from the host. Once everyone was ready, Tink read the mail outloud to the girls. Do you have a six sense? Fierce and Love -Tyra It was no doubt related to their challenge. Regina felt confident in the photoshoot based off the clue. She had done well in the challenge, and she had 100 extra frames. She had nothing to worry about, right? * * * * * * The girls were taken to the studio where the photoshoot would take place. Jay greets them and explains that their photographer was a young lady who was new to the fashion world. Tyra had met her at a fashion show, and wanted to bring her onto the show. "So today, as you probably figured out, has to do with your senses. There are five of you, and five senses. You will each be assigned a scenario which relies on one of the senses." Jay explained. "So Ruby, you will be drinking coffee in a cafe, so your sense is taste. Emma, you'll be listening to music, you are hearing. Ella, you will be painting, which will be the sense of touch. Regina, you will be literally, stopping to smell the roses. And last, the sense of sight goes to Tink who will be watching a play at the theater. The goal is to make these simple scenarios fashion, and to not lose the model." The girls all nodded. Jay made sure they were all set and ready before he sent them off to hair, makeup and wardrobe. Regina was surprised that she was doing the sense of smell, but she wasn't too worried. She'd have to figure out some creative poses, but she was optimistic that she would do well. "Emma, you ready?" Jay asked. "Yep!" Emma assured him. She wandered off to set. Regina was finished with hair and makeup, so she followed Emma to set. She loved to watch Emma shoot, and she was confident that her girlfriend would nail this. They placed headphones over Emma's head that were attached to an I-Pod. Jay had actually put together a playlist to help her channel the sense. Regina wondered what song Emma was listening to because she was really into it. She nailed pose after pose, and it was obvious that she was portraying the sense of hearing. "Way to go, Emma. I couldn't have asked for more." Jay told her when she was done. Regina congratulated her girlfriend on a job well done before she whisked back to wardrobe. They dressed Regina in a 1950's look. She was excited for the outfit, but she was nervous for how she would use it to portray the sense of smell. She was starting to get anxious for the shoot. "How'd you do Ruby?" Regina asked when she noticed the brunette returning from set. "Let's just say it wasn't my best." Ruby said with a pout. "I hate the taste of coffee, and I got stuck." "Maybe you did better than you thought." Regina said trying to give her some hope. "We'll see. Best of luck on your shoot thought, you got this!" Soon, Regina was called to the set by Jay. They had set up a whole garden of flowers. Jay directed her to the section with different colored roses. He told her to make sure she gave a lot of variety, but she was unsure how she would do that. She began to smell the flowers. She tried to think of more poses, but nothing was coming to her mind. She was getting frustrated with herself. She had already used her 100 regular frames and was now starting the extras, but she still had nothing. "Regina, change it up!" Jay called. "I'm trying." She said back. "I….I just don't know what to do." She grabbed a few loose roses and tossed them into the air. She knew it wasn't exactly portraying smell, but it was supposed to be a creative take. Jay complimented her for trying, but she knew this was her worst shoot to date. "I'm sorry." She told Jay when she was done. "I know that was really bad, I don't know what happened." "It's the end of the competition, the stress is high." Jay replied. "It's normal to have a bad day. You have been at the top this whole competition. Don't let the pressure get to you now. I know you can do this." "Thank you, let's just hope the judges know that too." * * * * Everyone aside from Ruby and Regina had gotten pretty good feedback at the shoot. Regina was certain she was going to be in the bottom, and was worried she would be sent home. She couldn't imagine facing her mother. And the thought of being sent away from Emma was too much to handle. "It's going to be fine." Emma tried to think positively. "Emma, if I go, you have to win." Regina insisted. "Don't let my elimination be the thing that stops you." "You're not going home, Regina." Emma replied. "What if I do?" Regina asked, tears welling up in her chocolate brown eyes. "You won't, but if by some chance you do, we will figure things out." Emma promised. "Hey, it's alright, don't cry, babe." Regina sniffled. She couldn't believe this could very well be the last night she spent in this house with Emma. She hadn't entered this competition expecting to fall in love. In fact, she would have thought they were crazy if nine weeks ago someone told her she would fall for Emma Swan. But she did, and the thought of not being near her until the end of this competition was killing her more than losing the chance of becoming America's next top model. "Emma, I need you to listen for a moment." Regina said seriously. "There is a very real chance that after tomorrow, we will be apart for a while. And I can't let that happen without telling you something." "You can tell me anything, Regina." Emma said sincerely. "Emma, I love you." Regina said. Emma grinned. "Regina, I love you too." * * * * The girls were all lined up for panel. Regina's hands were sweaty with nerves. She was willing her stomach to stop doing flip flops. Regina had never been this nervous for a panel before. "Hello ladies." Tyra greeted with a smile. "Five girls left, and after tonight, we will be down to four. So, let's get started." Tyra called Emma up first. Her photo was full of energy, and her shot was killed. Regina wasn't surprised. She knew that Emma had done well in the shoot, and she was proud of her girlfriend. Nigel told Emma he was proud of how far she had come, and Regina knew he was sincere. Emma had grown so much. Next up was Ella. They had chosen a picture of her with paint all of her face. It was lovely. She had even put a hand in her hair to emphasize the sense of touch. Regina was growing more and more nervous. "Regina, you're up." Tyra called. Regina felt her heart drop a bit when she stepped up and they showed her photo. Tyra had picked the one of her throwing the flowers in the air. Had it been the first week of the competition, the photo wouldn't have been so bad, but Regina knew this was not acceptable for a model in the top five. She had one leg kicked up, her arms stretched up, and a wide smile on her face. But her eyes showed little emotion. "This is unexpected." Nigel told her. "And not in a good way. I don't get the sense of smell from this." "Well, Nigel, I chose this photo because she was finally doing something different." Tyra explained. "She got stuck in one pose, and there was little variety. Regina, you are usually my favorite film to go through, but I was disappointed this week. We both know you can do better." "Some people can't handle the pressure." Another judge commented. Regina knew how bad it was to hear those words. It was practically a death sentence. She knew from previous cycles of the show that girls who did well in the start and began to slip at the end, usually got sent home. If the judges even slightly suspected that you couldn't handle the pressure of the modeling world, they sent you packing. "I can handle the pressure, I promise." Regina told them. "I just had an off week. It won't happen again. If you allow me to stay, I can prove to you that I am strong enough for this." Tyra dismissed her and sent her back to her spot next to the other girls. They finished going through Ruby and Tink's photos before they were sent out. The judges hadn't loved Ruby's photo, but her feedback still seemed better than Regina's. Regina was so nervous. She wasn't used to being the weak link. She felt like she was letting everyone down. She without a doubt had done the worst in the photoshoot. She didn't want to leave, but she only had herself to blame. If they sent her home, at least she knew the winner was someone who deserved it and wanted it. * * * * * The judges finally called the girls back into the room. Their deliberation had taken much longer than normal. Tyra's face gave absolutely nothing away, and for Regina that made things even worse. "This was an extremely hard judging. You all have strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, things happen that surprise even us judges. But, at the end of the day we have to do what we feel is right. So, I only have four photos in my hands, and these photos represent the four of you that will still be in the running toward becoming America's Next Top Model. The girl that I do not call must immediately return to your house, pack your bags and go home." Regina took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Emma, who was standing next to her, gave her hand a squeeze. Regina hoped this wouldn't be the last time that Emma held her hand. "Best photo this week goes to Ella." Tyra announced. "Runner up, Emma. And, in the middle of the pack, we have Tink. Which leaves Ruby and Regina. Will the two of you please step forward." Regina made eye contact with Emma who looked terrified. Emma had been optimistic and had tried help Regina stay positive, but that was kind of hard now. And to make matters worse, Regina was in the bottom two with Ruby. The girl who Emma had been friends with since casting week. Either way, this elimination was going to be the hardest one yet. "Ruby, Regina, two amazing, beautiful models. The two of you have had some of the best photos here, but you are slowly sinking." Tyra began. "Ruby, we've been on you about being too sexy in your photos, and this week you gave us nothing. So we worry that sexy is all you can do, and that high fashion will never be your strong suit. And then we have Regina, the girl who has been consistently high in the calling, and yet here you are. I never expected to see you in the bottom two, but this weeks photo made the judges concerned that you will crack under the pressure. So, who stays? Regina, I think you can handle this. You just gotta prove it to all of the people behind me." Regina gasped when she saw her photo in Tyra's hand. She had not expected to be the one staying. She really thought she was going to be going home. After thanking Tyra, Regina made her way over to the rest of the girls. Emma grabbed Regina and held her tightly. "Thank goodness." Emma said. Ruby was finished hugging Tyra, and came to say goodbye to the others. She was crying, but she managed a smile and wished the girls luck. She made Emma and Regina promise to send her an invite to their wedding, which made everyone chuckle. Regina thanked her lucky stars that she was saved this week. *REGINA CONFESSIONAL* "I don't know how I am still here, but I am so grateful that Tyra decided to give me enough chance. I hope I can prove to her that I deserve this. It's hard knowing I took this from Ruby, but knowing that I still get to be here with Emma means the world. Even if I don't win this competition, in my heart I have already one." A/N I have a new story possibly coming during semester break! I will also update this more during the next few weeks while I have some time off! -Kaila :)